Beach & Coast Clean – General Directorate of The Merchant Marine Of Honduras

Marine Environment Protection

The Directorate General of Merchant Marine, as set out in Article 5, paragraph 7 of its Organic Law, includes “the use, protection and preservation of coastal“ as a maritime activity within the scope of their duties. In his capacity as National Maritime Authority, fulfills the responsibility for maintaining marine and coastal ecosystems in the country in terms of quality which allows them to be profitable from socially and economically through fishing, both commercial and artisanal , and tourism; as well as functional from an environmental and ecological perspective, thus preventing episodes of contaminaciónligados to the accumulation of solid waste on beaches, which bring as consequences problems linked to human health and to the scenic and natural depreciation of the Honduran coast.

Parallel to cleanup activities that have taken place since September 2015, an agreement with the Secretary of State in the Office of Education was signed, with the aim of unifying efforts towards awareness of children and young Hondurans coastal communities, so that they are informed about the growing problem of litter on beaches, while involving them to be part of the solution, both preventively and mitigation work.

Similarly, this program integrates Goal 3 of the Country Vision 2010-2038 concerning the search for “a productive Honduras, generating opportunities
and decent employment, which leverages its resources sustainably and reduce environmental vulnerability “as well as the Strategic Guideline 7 of the National Plan 2010- 2022 on Regional Development, Natural Resources and Environment.

Omoa

459 m3 (395 ton)

925

Puerto Cortés

1035 m3 (892 ton)

945

Roatán

20 m3 (17 ton)

2.0

Utila

33 m3 (24 ton)

2.4

Barra Rio Cuyamel y Barra del Rio Motagua

28 m3 ( 24 ton)

0.15

120

TOTAL

1,575 m3 (1,356 ton)

39.6

2,140

The problem of solid waste in our coastal marine ecosystems puts their ecological balance and their social, economic and recreational value at risk. The General Directorate of the Merchant Marine has been working on cleaning days since 2015, with the support of other government agencies and the private sector.

To take a step forward, we are now implementing a new work methodology, to collect not only garbage, but also information that will give us reliable statistical data on the origin and type of waste that ends up on our beaches and coastal marine spaces.

Knowing and monitoring the problem is creating solid foundations to solve it. Let’s do our part!